|
|
|
|
| Homepage NEW |
|
|
|
Monthly Tourism Newsletter from India |
August 2005 |
| Permanent Feature - GOA | Contest |
| Special Feature | Enjoy Goa in the mosoon rains!! |
|
Greetings from sunny & rainy Goa!
Rains have now subsided and within a few weeks these will be gone almost completely. Mumbai has come back to its normal track, after a great deal of devastation caused by excessive rains end of last month. It was really unprecedented and not even Meghalaya ever got such heavy downpour in such a short time.
However now is the time for festive mood to set in. With Lord Krishna’s birthday celebrations, Ganesh festival, Navratri celebrations in Gujarat and last but not the least, Bonderam festival round the corner in Goa, a chain reaction starts and goes on until next summer! Do come over and see the land of colours and festivals!
Lots of new rooms are being added and not to talk about the augmented airline capacity along with the advent of cheaper fares – slowly tourism seems to be getting into everybody’s business in India! That is a good sign already! See you in India! |
|
AIRLINES UPDATEAIR DECCAN UPDATE: One of the fastest growing airlines in the world Air Deccan is on a spree to introducing new flights. Starting 22 Aug, it will have a total of 5 daily flights between Chennai & Bangalore with the introduction of 2 new service. They are also launching a second daily flight between Delhi & Amritsar from 24 Aug. From 23 Aug, the bookings have opened for Nov – Jan costing Re 1 – Rs 500 per ticket.
Club One Air takes off: Club One Air, which claims to be the country’s first fractional aircraft ownership company, recently launched its services with three Cessna Citation aircraft. The club will offer fractional ownership starting from Rs 2 crore to Rs 12 crore that will offer the members annual flying time. The members will be required to share the monthly management cost and also pay for the direct operating cost as and when they fly. (Source Trav Talk)
AIR SAHARA RESUMES SERVICE TO KATHMANDU: Air Sahara, which has withdrawn Nepal services after the emergency was imposed, has finally resumed its Delhi - Kathmandu - Delhi service from August 12.
AMERICAN AIRLINES TO LAUNCH NON-STOP CHICAGO-NEW DELHI SERVICE: American Airlines is to launch a daily nonstop service between Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Delhi, from November 15. The route is nearly 7,500 miles and will be one of the longest nonstop routes. The airline will fly the route with its 236-seat Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
BRITISH AIRWAYS TO HAVE 2 DAILY FLIGHTS TO MUMBAI AND DELHI: British Airways (BA) is adding more flights to India. It will have a second daily flight to Bombay using a 224-seater Boeing 777 from October this year and a Boeing 747 aircraft for the second daily flight to Delhi from March next year. The double daily flights to the two Indian cities will see the airline offering 4,025 additional seats a month between London and India.
AIRBUS AND SIEMENS TO DEVELOP INFLIGHT PHONE SERVICE: Airbus Industries has signed a contract with Siemens A.G. to develop technology that would allow passengers to use their mobile phones during flights. The technology is to be launched in 2006 and will allow passengers to use their electronic devices throughout the flight without interfering with the aircraft’s own equipment.
KLM TO LAUNCH AMSTERDAM-HYDERABAD-AMRITSAR SERVICE: KLM is launching three times a week service between Amsterdam and Hyderabad. KLM’s partners Northwest Airlines and Air France will also be starting services to Bangalore in South India from Amsterdam and Paris respectively. Effective October 30, KLM will initiate thrice-weekly service between Amsterdam and Hyderabad on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, operating MD-11 equipment.
CONDOR PLANS SEASONAL FLIGHTS TO GOA AND KERALA: Condor Airline plans to operate seasonal flights to Goa and Cochin this year. Both Goa and Kerala are extremely popular destinations in Europe and this would help increase tourism to these destinations in winter months.
Boeing launches 737-900ER, Lion Air orders up to 60 jets: Boeing announced on 18 July the launch of its new 737 jetliner featuring a longer range and a larger capacity. The company said Indonesian carrier Lion Air placed a firm order for 30 of the planes and options for an additional 30. The plane, named the 737-900ER, can carry up to 26 more passengers than the 737-900. DRUK AIR TO HIKE FLIGHT FREQUENCY: India and Bhutan have agreed to increase the frequency of flights from 12 to 49 per week. Bhutanese airline Druk Air would now also operate to Bombay, Madras and Guwahati in addition to Delhi, Calcutta and Gaya. In the meantime, they have also announced their winter schedule 2005-06. Azerbaijan Airlines connects Delhi-Baku twice weekly: Azerbaijan Airlines, the national airline of Azerbaijan, launched its twice weekly flights between Delhi and Azerbaijan. The airline launched two weekly flights between Delhi and Baku with convenient connections to London, Moscow, Tbilisi and Istanbul from there. TOP HOTELS NEWS
NOW JAYPEE GROUP IS ALSO ON AN EXPANSION SPREE: The famous hotel chain, though relatively small, Jaypee Group of hotels plans a new hotel all the way in the north east of India at Gangtok with 150 rooms. Another new project will come up in NOIDA area near Delhi again with 150 rooms. However this would also have a spa and convention centre. They have added 90 rooms at Mussoorie property as well. Le Meridien OPENS IN KATHMANDU: Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts opened its first hotel in Nepal called Le Meridien Kathmandu, Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa. Located at 10 km from the airport, it consists of 38 deluxe rooms, one suite inspired by historic Malla & Rana period architecture and 16 cottages. MERADEN GRAND OPENS IN VARANASI: Recently a new 4 star boutique property has been launched in Varanasi. They have rooms in 3 categories namely Club Royale, Executive Suites and Deluxe rooms. Situated in a quiet area of cantonment, it is 20 km from the airport.This is in addition to the hotel Surabhi already started last year en route to Sarnath. THE LEELA KOVALAM BEACH LAUNCHED: The Leela Kovalam Beach (also an ayurveda wellness spa) has been re-launched thus becoming the largest beach resort in Kovalam, situated 15 km from the airport with 194 guest rooms and suites spread over 44 acres. The rooms are in three categories – Beach View Wing, Pavilion Wing & Sea View Wing. The Leela Kovalam Beach offers leisure travellers a new address that redefines service and luxurious accommodation at Kerala’s top beach destination. The Leela Group of Hotels is proposing to invest US$ 220 million in new properties across India in other destinations like Madras, Hyderabad and Udaipur. Please write to us if you wish to book the rooms there. LAKE PALACE, UDAIPUR’S SWIMMING POOL UNDER RENOVATION: The pool of lake palace is under renovation and will be operational again only by 1 Oct. Hotel is functional in the meantime. TOP TEEJ FESTIVAL CELEBRATED WITH GREAT FERVOUR (8 & 9 AUG): The Teej Festival, held in Jaipur in July/August, marks the advent of the monsoon, and is celebrated on the third day of the bright lunar half of the month of Shravn in accordance with the Hindu calendar. Goddess Parvati is invoked to bless her worshippers with conjugal harmony and bliss. Women in groups can be seen in the countryside on swings set up on trees singing songs. BANANA FESTIVAL CELEBRATED IN NEW DELHI FROM 4th AUG: A three day Banana Festival and Conference was held from August 4, 2005, at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. India is the largest producer and as also consumer in the world. With an estimated annual production of 16 million tonnes of bananas, India’s domestic production exceeds the entire world trade. BIRD WATCHERS FAIR FEB’06: For almost a year Palani Hills Bird Watchers Society has been meeting to develop plans for the South India Bird Watchers Fair to be held at Gandhigram University 0n 4th, 5th and 6th February 2006. Fortunately a lot of interest has already been shown and two Secondary High Schools have initiated their own Bird Watchers Clubs in South Tamilnadu. The plains at the foot of the Palni Hills in the Western Ghats and the Palni Hills themselves, between them, account for over 400 identified different bird species. It is expected that the three day fair will be an enjoyable day out for people, as well as giving them much information about birds, wildlife and the conservation that will be so important in the coming decades, if we are not to lose much of our precious heritage. Gandhigram University is on the main Madurai-Dindigul Road, 70 kilometres North of Madurai and 15 kilometres south. Buses are frequent. Admission to the fair is free. There will be two-hour, free bird watching tours each morning and evening and various interesting stalls and demonstration, illustrated talks and lectures. For more information contact Palani Hills Bird watchers fair, Lakeside House, Athoor, Dindigul 624 701. Tel 0451 2556762 or e-mail joehoman2003@yahoo.co.in NAVARATRI FESTIVAL IN Gujarat (04 – 12 Oct): Cited as the longest dance festival on earth, all seems set in Gujarat for this oncoming festival. The government is taking up various plans so that the forthcoming festival draws a big number of tourists from the country and abroad. Soon after, they will also have a winter festival at Kutchh region from 16 – 18 October. DATES FOR TARNETAR FESTIVAL IN GUJARAT: The dates of Tarnetar Fair this year are 7th to 9th September 2005. We had carried out an article in our last newsletter on this. POORAM IN KERALA ON 13 DEC: There is a major pooram happening in December at Kizhoor Devi temple, 100 km north of Cochin or 23 km north of Trichur. Highlights are colourful pageant involving 60+ caparisoned elephants and 1 hr long percussion. Timings are 1200-1900 hrs. Please write to us if you wish to be a part to this event. The Thrissurpooram that takes place every year in April, is in addition to this. PATA India to bid for hosting PATA Travel Mart 2007: The PATA India Chapter is currently rolling up its sleeves to bid for hosting of the PATA Travel Mart 2007. The last time the PATA Mart took place in India was in 1993 in New Delhi. PATA India expects to bid for the event during PATA Travel Mart at Kuala Lumpur in September this year. If India wins the bid, it will get very good international publicity as well as an exposure to the trends in the international market. TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (India)TOURIST FLOW TO JAMMU & KASHMIR UP BY 83%: Tourist flow to Kashmir went up by 83% from Jan to Jun’05 (2.8 lakhs Indians and 8000 foreigners) compared to the same period last year. WATER AT THE LAKE PICHOLA IN UDAIPUR: The monsoons this year have brought some cheer to the lake city, where Pichhola lake had gone dry in past year. Thanks to better rains this time, now there is water in the lake (about 3 feet) & guests are being transferred by boat to the Lake Palace hotel. Even regular sunset cruises and boat rides have started. E-TICKETING OF RAILWAY TICKETS: Indian Railways have launched the e-ticketing scheme from 12 August on Kalka – New Delhi Shatabdi trains. The photo identity card of the traveler along with the printout of electronic reservation slip would constitute the authority to travel. The service can be availed of by the customer by going on the website www.irtc.co.in and duly selecting the `E-Ticket’ option. RAJASTHAN PLANS TO HAVE 2 MORE PALACE ON WHEELS TRAINS: As of now, the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) says, they are already almost fully sold out for next few years and they have had to reject so many requests. Hence they plan to acquire two new trains to be put on the same route as it is running to full capacity. The Palace on Wheels, one of the top ten luxury trains in the world, takes tourists on a seven-day tour. The train starts in Delhi and passes through Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Bharatpur and Agra before returning to Delhi in the seventh day. INDIA INTRODUCES MEDICAL VISAS TO BOOST HEALTH TOURISM: India has introduced a new type of visa for foreigners seeking specialty medical treatment for extended periods. India receives a large number of patients for medical treatment and surgery not only from lesser developed countries but also from America, U.K. and Europe. The cost of treatment in India is one tenth to half of the cost in the west. India has also liberalized the student visa regime to attract more students to the country and allow them to change subjects hassle free. MINISTRY OF TOURISM SELECTS 55 RURAL TOURISM PROJECTS: The ministry of tourism has launched an innovative project to showcase the rural life, art, culture and heritage, thereby benefiting the local community economically and socially. 55 such projects across the country have been sanctioned up to Rs 50 lakh each for infrastructure development. The scheme is to benefit the local community economically as well as to enable interaction between tourists and local population for mutually enriching experience. Tourists’ visits to experience rural India would lead to more job generation and promotion of the local art, handicrafts and culture. RAMOJI FILM CITY WORLD’S LARGEST, ENTERS GUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS: Ramoji Film City (RFC) has created a Guinness record as the world’s largest film studio complex, including Hollywood. Located about 25 km from Hyderabad, RFC offers over 500 locations. Twenty international films and nearly 40 Indian films can be produced simultaneously in the complex. Built by media baron Ramoji Rao, RFC is considered the only facility where a filmmaker can walk in with a script and walk out with a canned film. It attracts not only filmmakers from India but from also Hollywood. “The largest film studio complex in the world is Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, India, which opened in 1996 and measures 674 hectares (1,666 acres) with 47 sound stages,” said the certificate received by RFC. NEW CONVENTION CENTER PLANNED FOR HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh Government is planning to give a major boost to tourism infrastructure in Hyderabad. A large convention center overlooking the massive Golconda Fort is planned. The Government is also planning to build a gigantic “View Tower”, which will be the tallest structure in the city. BANGALORE Palace Opens Up To Tourists: Mysore royal family heir Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar has decided to open up the Bangalore palace to tourists. It will be officially opened to the public from January 2006 but tourists have been unofficially allowed since July this year. Reportedly, the palace has already seen about 1,000 visitors in the first three weeks. Spread over 450 acres, the 125-year old palace was built by Chamarajendra Wadiyar in the mid-1880s after he bought the place from an Englishman for about Rs 40,000. This was constructed in 1887 by Maharaja of Mysore and is a depiction of Windsor Castle in London. Entry fees are Indians Rs.100 / foreigners Rs.200 / children up to 10 years free / children up to 18 years Rs.50 / still Camera fee Rs.500 & video Camera: Rs.1000. These are inclusive of guide who will take you around the Palace. They are placing the collections of Bangalore palace now, so it is worth watching this once it is fully operational. UNDERWATER SUBMARINE TOURS IN KERALA: Kerala is always in the forefront in introducing new ideas to attract tourists. Now a Tourist Submarine is to be launched in Cochin (Kochi) the first of its kind in the country. The Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) and the Cochin based Pioneer Underwater Tours are jointly introducing a 45 minute underwater cruise in which tourists will be able to observe marine life at close quarters. They will get panoramic view of the sea world through large diameter view ports. The submarine will go to a maximum depth of 100 m and would carry 24 passengers & two crew members at a time. There will be ten dives, eight in the day and two after sunset. India Warms Up To Medical Tourism: Relatively low costs of special healthcare in the country is attracting foreign nationals, looking for cheaper and quicker medical attention. This, combined with its reputation as a tourist destination, is making India a hot seat for medical tourism. Most patients hail from Afghanistan and South Asia although Americans and Europeans are not far behind. Night zoo at Noida to attract tourists: In a bid to lure tourists by imitating highly-successful models of Singapore and China, India is also all set to build its own night zoo and animal theme park. The project, called Safari India, is to be developed on a 60.7 hectare plot of land in Greater New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) within vicinity of the capital. MTDC launches phase II restoration work at Ajanta & Ellora: UNESCO World Heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora are all set to get a new look, courtesy Maharashtra Tourism, which has launched the second phase of restoration work at Ajanta & Ellora. Phase one of restoration was extremely successful and had won the National Tourism Award under the category of best Eco-Friendly Tourism Project undertaken for the year 2001-2002. Phase two will lay emphasis on regional development by creating job opportunities and improving the infrastructure. KOZHIKODE – THE FIRST LITTER FREE CITY IN THE COUNTRY: Many Kozhikodans love to believe that Vasco Da Gama won’t lose his way if he returns to the city now, 507 years after his ship famously docked here — the narrow, winding city streets haven’t changed much since. But Kozhikode is now all set and has been declared a litter free city. Even before the government decided to introduce medical visa to capitalise on the new-found interest in India, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre in Delhi was receiving upto 800 foreign nationals every six months. The medical visa would be issued to all foreign nationals including nationals of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka who come to India for medical treatment. The initial period of such a visa would be one year or for the period of treatment, whichever is less. NEW FINDINGS IN ORISSA RELATED TO BUDDHISM: Several small stupas and four stone pillars with inscriptions in Pali language were found from a Buddhist site which was discovered in Panasapur village near river Govari, 155 km from here recently. Other things unearthed at the site include two stone statues of Amitabha Buddha in meditation pose and one of Abolokeswar Buddha, dancing statues of young girls and many stone and earthen statues, claimed Buddhist scholar Harish Chander Prusti who stumbled on the site. The remnants of an ancient step-well were also excavated during the spadework at Panasapur. Prusti claims existence of a big Buddhist monastery beneath river Godavari in Kantikiari village. The recent findings have proved that Buddhist civilization was flourishing in the region and was highly advanced and urban in character. The acoustic statues obtained point to the existence of some Ratnagiri-like ruins below the river bed. Some of the structures found at the site include brick walls, cooking pots and tanks with steps like the one at the famous Buddhist site in Udayagiri. The recent discovery is of much interest to the archaeologists. TOP NEWS MEANS GOOD NEWS (International)
Outbound trends in 2005 look good already: According to recent surveys, this season saw most outbound tourists heading towards Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Mauritius, Dubai, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Indian contingent’s contribution to last year’s outbound to Malaysia was a whopping 28 per cent of the total arrivals, while this year it has already gone up to 18 per cent. The Middle East is fast changing from a job destination to a glamorous leisure destination. STAR CRUISES COMMENCES OPERATION FROM 02 OCT: Star Cruises will commence operations of its liner Super Star Libra from October 2. The ship, slated to be home-ported in Mumbai, is the country’s first cruise liner. It will cater to the increasing number of Indians who have been taking to the seas as holiday option. The liner would start its regular four-night cruises from October 2, between Kadmat (Lakshadweep) and Goa. It is also planning two-night cruises to Goa and one-night weekend getaway to other destinations till April 2006. SuperStar Libra would also operate four special cruises to Kochi and Goa on December 25, 2005, and on January 29, February 12 and February 26 2006. About 30,000 Indians went on cruises last year, registering a 20 per cent growth over the previous year. This year the number is expected to increase by over 60 per cent to 50,000. SuperStar Libra, formerly known as Norwegian Sea under the NCL brand, is a 42,000 gross-tonne ship with 740 cabins and a passenger capacity of 1,480 in its lower berths. Measuring 216 metre long and 28 metre wide, the vessel is equipped with eight restaurants and bars, seven entertainment outlets, meeting facilities and a host of sports, health and recreational facilities. TOP 3RD GLOBAL SUMMIT TO ADDRESS SUSTAINED TRAVEL INDUSTRY RESPONSE TO TSUNAMI AFFECTED AREAS: A key goal of the 3rd Global Summit on Peace through Tourism is to develop a sustained travel industry response to the social and economic re-vitalization of tsunami affected countries in support of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) leadership initiatives. The 3rd Global Summit on Peace through Tourism is being held October 2-5, 2005 at the award winning Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Conference Center, Pattaya, Thailand. Featured keynote speakers on the panel will include Tourism Ministers from tsunami affected countries as well as industry leaders from the private sector. A workshop will follow where ideas and suggestions brought forward in the plenary session will be discussed further with a view to developing partnering relationships and a coordinated approach to implementation strategies. IIPT Founder and President Louis D’Amore said “We are particularly interested in bringing together Chief Executive Officers of ‘Volunteer Tourism,’ ‘Philanthropic Tourism,’ ‘Youth Travel,’ ‘Executive Overseas Volunteer Programs,’ and other Volunteer Programs to collaborate in redevelopment efforts.” Theme of the Summit is “One Earth One Family: Travel & Tourism – Serving a Higher Purpose.” Its aim is to develop a 21st Century Agenda for Peace through Tourism that addresses key global issues of our time including: poverty reduction; healing the wounds of conflict; promoting international understanding, tolerance and cooperation; environmental enhancement and preservation of biodiversity; and a sustained travel industry response to the social and economic revitalization of tsunami affected countries. More than 25 prestigious international organizations have announced their support for the Summit. This is in addition to the nearly 40 major international organizations that are members of the IIPT Coalition of Partners for World Peace through Tourism. Members of both ‘Supporting Organizations’ and IIPT’s Coalition of Partners are entitled to special discounted registration fees. Summit Outcomes will include a “21st Century Agenda for Peace through Tourism” in support of the U.N. Decade of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World and the Millennium Development Goals. For more information please visit website: www.iipt.org or contact: summit@iipt.org; Fax: + 1-802 253-2645; Tel + 1 802 253-2658 TOP BIRDS RETURNING TO KEOLADEO GHANA BIRD SANCTUARY ONCE AGAIN: India’s best known bird sanctuary Keoladeo National Park located at Bharatpur has been reeling from four years of drought, with a devastating effect on the bird population. The arrival of the rains has seen the wet lands getting water and birds returning. More than 350 species of birds are generally found here out of which 160 species are of migratory types. The number of migratory birds spotted here had decreased from almost 20,000 to only 5,500. TOP
MALAR BONDERAM FESTIVAL HELD ON 21 AUG: Famous Malar Bonderam festival is due to take place end of this month at the beautiful island of Divar. Highlights of the colourful, annual event were the main Flag March to the accompaniment of a brass band, dance parade, fancy dress competition, coconut breaking contest and Chinese fireworks. However the float parade is going to take place on 27 Aug.
KINGFISHER AIR FLIES TO GOA: The airline launched its inaugural flight to Goa on 11 August. It has two flights every day. Please contact us should you need to book it for you. TOP
Just Answer Five Simple Questions to win a book:
1) Bonderam festival takes place at which island of Goa a. Divar c. Tiswadi b. Chorao d. Colva beach 2) Mumbai received a record rainfall this year on a particular day. What was the approx. amount is cm a. 25 cm c. 100 cm b. 50 cm d. 75 cm 3) Which is the first no frills airline in India a. Spicejet c. Kingfisher b. Air Deccan d. Jet Airways 4) In which century was the Tamdi Surla temple built in Goa a. 10th c. 11th b. 12th d. 13th 5) What is the sex ratio of Goa (females per 1000 male) a. 961 c. 1044 b. 985 d. 915
LAST DATE: 15 Sep’05 to send your entries at the email address pmaurya@vsnl.net
ANSWERS OF LAST CONTEST: 1) Air Deccan is going to withdraw its service ex-Mumbai to which of the following destinations? ANS: c. Surat 2) Indian Railways network is ---- biggest in the world: ANS: b. Second 3) Which of these luxury trains was started the last? ANS: c. Deccan Odyssey 4) Which of the railways has come up with a new monsoon time table for about 4 months from mid June? ANS: c. Konkan Railways 5) India is trying to get a membership of which of the UN bodies? ANS: a. Security Council
WINNER OF LAST CONTEST: Warm congratulations to Ms. Lianne Falk from Bahrain. She will be sent a book on India shortly! TOP
|
|
NOTE: This newsletter is currently being sent to about 4000 select tour operators, individuals, friends, tourist offices, and other organizations. The news contents of this are compiled through various resources, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, books, etc and are being customized to suit our needs of balanced information in tourism and its related field. The newsletter itself does not carry any commercial value and the sole purpose is to increase the awareness and disseminate the available information in a fast manner to the people concerned in the trade. We try to provide the news as authentic and correct as possible, however, there might be errors sometimes. TOP |